Sean Couturier

Flyers fans will always remember where they were on June 23, 2011 when two of the biggest trades in team history took place.

In some ways it feels like an eternity ago, while in other ways it feels like just yesterday. But forget who and what left Philadelphia that Thursday afternoon two years ago.

The only thing that still matters most today is the acquisition of the 1st round draft pick that became Sean Couturier and the acquisition of 21 year old Brayden Schenn.

The trades changed the face of the franchise, and suddenly the Flyers became a team of youth with not only two but three of the best rookies in the NHL during the 2011-12 season thanks to those trades and the slick signing of college free agent Matt Read almost exactly three months prior.

That trio of rookie forwards shined in Philadelphia throughout the 2011-12 season, and the future was looking bright. But unfortunately what happens to even the best players in the NHL after a stellar rookie season is the dreaded sophomore slump.

Martin Brodeur's win totals will no longer ironically be linked to the number of the beast.

Having been stuck with 666 wins -- ironically at that seeing as Brodeur has a big ole devil on his chest -- Brodeur finally snapped his six-game losing streak to earn his 667th career win against the Flyers in Philadelphia. It was his first win since March 23.

The Devils' 3-0 win also snapped the 10-game losing streak they were on, enabling them to leap-frog the Flyers in the standings.

Brodeur stopped 23 shots for his second shut-out of the season, also against the Flyers (3-0 back on January 22). For his career, Brodeur shut out the Flyers 11 times, and is now 47-30-6-3 against Philadelphia.

With a horrible season coming to a close, it's time to count the positives

The easiest way to feel positive about things in the present for the Flyers is to relate them to the future. And the best way to do that is to take a look at the youth.

We are seeing Oliver Lauridsen and Erik Gustafsson get playing time, the Schenn's (Older brother Luke and younger brother Brayden) are both standing out in a good way, and Sean Couturier is taking advantage of increased ice time.

Couturier, specifically, is fantastic news. He went from a dazzling rookie to a player in a serious sophomore slump.

Riding a four-game winning streak, the Flyers travel to The 'Peg where they take on a struggling Jets team. Winnipeg is losers of five straight, giving the Flyers a good opportunity to take advantage of their struggles and continue their march to the playoffs.

All 30 teams in the NHL know the type of talent Sean Couturier possesses.

Only one, the Philadelphia Flyers, have the fortune of saying that they are possession of his talent.

On the April 3 trade deadline, a handful of teams asked the Flyers about the 20-year-old Couturier. San Jose wanted him in exchange for Ryan Clowe and Ottawa wanted him for Ben Bishop.

The Flyers didn’t bite though, opting to hold onto Couturier rather than deal him for a potential rental forward with no goals or an unproven starting goaltender. They did, however, exercise the notion of trading him for a top, young defenseman or top line scorer.

Couturier was glad this deadline ended, especially for him trying to focus on his play rather than if he's going to get moved.

(Pictured: Sean Couturier celebrates with Jay Rosehill and Erik Gustafsson after setting up Rosehill's goal in the third. John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY)

Playing the latter of a grueling back-to-back, the Flyers overcame a late surge by a good Toronto Maple Leafs team, holding on to win 5-3 Thursday night. It was their fourth straight win and earned them two huge points in the standings.

Sean Couturier had a fantastic game. He was all over the ice, notching a pair of assists and seemingly looked like he was always out there despite playing just over 13 minutes.

(Pictured: Kimmo Timonen and Sean Couturier take out Mikhail Grabovski in the 2nd period. AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)